Terminal supply reel



June 1966 D. A. WALKER TERMINAL SUPPLY REEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30 1963 June 7, 1966 D. A. WALKER TERMINAL SUPPLY REEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30 1963 United States Patent 3,254,760 TERMINAL SUPPLY REEL David A. Walker, Oberlin, Steelton, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Sept. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 312,434 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-59) This invention relates to storage reels for electrical terminals in strip form.

Electrical terminals of the type which are adapted to be crimped onto the ends of wires are frequently manufactured in strip form by conventional stamping and forming methods and wound on conventional storage reels after manufacture. wire ends, a storage reel is mounted on a bracket on the crimping press and the strip is fed by means of a strip feed mechanism in synchronism with the operating cycle of the press'in a manner such that the leading terminal of the strip is positioned between the crimping dies at the end of each operating cycle. The wires to which terminals are being applied are successively positioned between the crimping dies and in alignment with the leading terminal so that during each operating cycle, the leading terminal is crimped onto a wire, sheared from the strip, and the strip is advanced to position an uncrimped terminal between the dies. The foregoing operations are commonly carried out with semi-automatic presses requiring manual positioning of the wires or fully automatic machines which include means for feeding the wires and positioning their ends between the crimping dies of the press. With either type of machine, high production rates are desirable; with semi-automatic machines, production rates of 2,000 to 3,000 crimped connections per hour are not uncommon and higher rates than this are frequently achieved wtih fully automatic machines.

With most types of termnials in strip form, conventional reels having a central hub and flanges on each side thereof have been found to be satisfactory but with some types of terminals having relatively complicated shapes with hook-like projections, difliculties have been encountered with the prior art types of reels as a result of tangling of the terminal strip and/or latching of the projections of the terminals of one layer with the terminals of the immediately adjacent layers. Such latching and tangling has resulted in frequent interruptions of the operation of the crimping machine while the operator frees the strip to permit it to be fed to the crimping dies.-

The present invention is thus directed to an improved storage reel for terminals which avoids tangling and/0r latching of the successive turns or layers of terminals and permits the strip to be withdrawn freely from the reel during operation of a crimping machine.

An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an improved storage reel for electrical terminals in strip form. A further object is to provide a storage reel particularly intended for terminals in strip form which have laterally extending projections and which avoids latching or tangling of the strip on the reel. A still further object is the achievement of a storage reel for strip terminals of relatively complicated configuration which will be effective to retain a strip of terminals under normal conditions of handling but from which the strip of terminals can be readily Withdrawn when desired.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a preferred form of reel comprising a generally cylindrical hub portion having at one end thereof a conical skirt or flange which slopes away from the hub and divergently with respect to the axis thereof. This form of reel is intended for usage with terminals in side-by-side strip form and which have at least one arm extending laterally of the plane of the strip. The one end of the strip of terminals is positioned adjacent In crimping the terminals onto' "ice to the hub of the reel with the plane of the strip sur rounding, and extending parallel to, the axis of the hub and with the arms of the terminals projecting radially inwardly towards the hub axis. The strip is wound on the reel in the form of a volute with the adjacent turns of the strip disposed relatively close together and with the laterally projecting arms of each terminal extending beyond the next adjacent turn of the strip so that the .turns of terminal strip are interlocked. The innermost terminal'of the strip which is disposed against the hub is temporarily secured to the hub as by means of a short length of adhesive tape. By virtue of the interlocked relationship between each turn of the strip and the next adjacent turn, the entire volute configuration remains on the reel regardless of the orientation in which the reel is held. At the same time, the outer end of the strip can be withdrawn from the reel by merely pulling on this end (as when the strip is intermittently fed by a strip feeding device on a press) and permitting the reel to rotate about the axis of its hub.

These and other features of one embodiment of the invention are described more fully below and'shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of terminal storage reel in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the reel showing the hub portion, an immediately adjacent section of the conical terminal supporting surface, and showing the manner in which a strip of terminals is wound on the reel.

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and illustrating the manner in which each turn of strip terminals on the reel is interlocked with the next adjacent turn.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which areel of terminals in accordance with the invention is mounted on a crimping press.

FIGURE 5 shows a short section of terminals in strip form.

Referring first to FIGURE 5, the particular type of terminal strip 2 for which the disclosed embodiment of the invention is intended comprises a plurality of terminals 4 in parallel side-by-side strip form, each terminal being connected to its next adjacent neighbors by means of connecting slugs 6. The individual terminals each comprise a contact end portion 8 having a flat web and having inwardly curled sidewalls 9 on each side of the web. This contact end is adapted to receive a complementary terminal tab between the curled over edges of the sidewalls and the surface of the web. A pair of ferrule forming arms 10, 12 extend laterally of-the plane of the strip from the lower end of the terminal as viewed in FIGURE 5, these arms being adapted to be curled around the end of a conductor and to have their curved end portions 14, 16 inserted through openings in the web and suitably clinched to establish electrical and mechanical connections with the wire. Terminals of this type and a suitable applicator for use in a crimping press for crimping such terminals onto Wire ends are shown in US. Patent Number 2,845,108. This type of terminal has been found to present a reel storage problem for the reason that if the strip is wound on a reel in an ordinary manner, the laterally extending arms 10, 12 of each turn of strip on the reel'tend to.become lodged between turns of the next adjacent layer thus preventing free withdrawal of the strip from the reel. at the time of crimping.

A preferred form of reel in accordance with the instant invention comprises a central cylindrical hub 20 having axial opening 22 by means of which the reel may be mounted on a suitable shaft at the time of crimping. A conical skirt or flange 24 secured to one end of the hub 20 extends away from the hub and divergently with respect to the axis of the hub. Advantageously, the hub 20 may be of a suitable light weight, firm, foam type plastic and the flange or skirt 24 may be of corrugated paper board and secured to the hub by a suitable adhesive. Reels manufactured of these materials are intended to be disposable, but if a reuseable reel is desired the parts may be made of relatively durable plastics or sheet metal.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the terminal strip is wound on the reel with the plane of the strip (that is the plane defined by the web of the contact end 8 and the connecting slugs) extending parallel to the axis of the hub and with the lower end of the strip as it appears in FIGURE 5 disposed against the conical surface of the skirt 24-. The strip is oriented with the laterally extending arms 10, 12 directed radially towards the axis of the hub so that the arms of the innermost turn beginning with the terminals 28, 29 bear against the cylindrical surface 30 of the hub. The innermost terminal 28 is removably secured to the hub surface 30 by means of a short section of adhesive tape 26 which is wrapped around the contact portion 8 of the terminal 26 and which extends tangentially towards and adheres to the surface 30.

The manner of winding the terminal strip results in a configuration similar to the shape of a conventional volute spring, the successive turns of strip being analogous to the successive coils of a spring of this type. Since laterally extending arms 10, 12 project towards the axis of the hub 20, the curved ends 14, 16 of these arms in each turn of the strip will extend beyond the terminals of the next adjacent turn thereby to retain the entire length of the strip on the reel regardless of the orientation in which the reel is held. The strip can be withdrawn from the reel with ease by merely pulling on the free end of the strip and allowing the reel to rotate freely about its axis since the slope of the skirt 24 is such that as the strip is pulled, the curved arms 10, 12 of each terminal are permitted to move from beneath the next adjacent turn.

FIGURE 4 shows generally a form of crimping press commonly used to apply terminals of the type shown in FIGURES to the ends of wires. The press 34 may be a conventional bench press having an applicator 40 of the type shown in the above identified patent mounted thereon and having a reel mounting bracket 36 secured to its housing. The reel of terminals is freely mounted on a stationary shaft 38 which extends from the bracket 36 and the strip of terminals is led from the reel and to the applicator 40 as indicated. During each cycle of the press, the leading terminal of the strip is crimped onto a wire and severed from the strip, and the strip is fed or advanced a distance sufficient to position the next adjacent terminal at a location between the crimping dies.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

I claim:

1. A supply reel having a plurality of terminals thereon, said terminals being in side-by-side strip form and each terminal having an arm extending laterally of the plane of said strip, said reel having a conical surface and a central hub portion, said hub portion having a cylindrical surface, one end of said strip of terminals being disposed against said hub in a plane parallel to the axis of said hub and with said projections extending towards said hub, and said strip being spirally wound on said sylindrical surface said projections on each turn extending radially inwardly beyond the plane of the next adjacent turn.

2. A supply reel having a plurality of terminals thereon, said terminals being in side-by-side strip form and each terminal having at least one arm extending laterally of the plane of said strip, said reel comprising a cylindrical hub portion and having a support surface extending from one end of said hub, said support surface sloping away from said hub divergently with respect to the axis of said hub, said strip of terminals being spirally wound on said surface with the plane of said strip parallel to the axis of said hub and with said laterally projecting arms disposed proximate to said support surface, said arms being directed radially towards the axis of said hub with the arms of each turn extending beyond the next adjacent turn of said strip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,690,976 11/1928 Henry 206-59 X 2,295,222 9/1942 Krentler 242-118.3 2,604,986 7/1952 Berg 205-59 2,881,915 4/1959 Koehler 20659 X I 3,115,244 12/1963 Laskoswsk-i 20659 X yLOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SUPPLY REEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINALS THEREON, SAID TERMINALS BEING IN SIDE-BY-SIDE STRIP FORM AND EACH TERMINAL HAVING AN ARM EXTENDING LATERALLY OF THE PLANE OF SAID STRIP, SAID REEL HAVING A CONICAL SURFACE AND A CENTRAL HUB PORTION, SAID HUB PORTION HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, ONE END OF SAID STRIP OF TERMINALS BEING DISPOSED AGAINST SAID HUB IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID HUB AND WITH SAID PROJECTIONS EXTENDING 